Are mobile web and mobile search ready for real estate?

As real estate professionals, nationwide, search for sales and marketing tools to better advertise their listings to consumers, talk of mobile advertising capabilities continues to rise to the top of discussion.

We've seen MLS and Associations swarming around the idea of mobile MLS search, in attempt to meet real estate consumer demands and provide easy access to listing information from mobile phones. The only question is, are we ready to start marketing campaigns via mobile web search? If you are trying to reach a large audience, wireless user reports point to "No".

In our research, we have yet to find a real estate professional who's been satisfied with the results of utilizing a mobile web marketing service. This only makes sense considering the statistics for actual users of mobile web. Reports indicate that only 14% of mobile subscribers in the US actually use mobile web, a pinch of the over 255

million total mobile subscribers. Smartphone owners consist of a slim 3.8% of users and 1% piece of the pie goes to iPhone owners.

Although the idea is great, they are ahead of technology curve for their consumers who are actually using mobile web. But there is another option. Do not disregard the opportunity to utilize mobile phones and marketing capabilities as there are solutions that are very successful.

"Today, technology is being woven into the very fabric of our social culture, offering advertisers the ability to extend their reach to consumers much more effectively and immediately." (USShortCodes)

Text messaging is a strong avenue for you to consider as it is approaching nearly 5 times greater the number of cell phone owners utilizing mobile web and mobile search. Consider marketing services like Goomzee, which sends a text message with information to consumers, as well as the option to either view a mobile web link, or actually download a slideshow of up to 8 photos to their phone.

The benefits to text message advertising is extremely valuable: you can provide buyers with instant property information, 24/7 and generate quality leads that you can follow-up with. That has got to make your home-sellers happy!

It's part of the current wave, and we're on top of it - we just got our first text messaging riders today. Agreed - mobile web is a little ahead of the curve, but the last stats I saw here on AR said more than half of cell users use text messaging. Lets get rid of the those flyers!

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